Rural mail box



F. GRIMM RURAL MAIL BOX Sept. 27, 1932.

Filed March 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet Inuenior Frank/2'12 652) 222/ M 1 By @mp Allorney F. GRIMM RURAL MAIL BOX Sept. 27, 1932.

Filed March 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. GRI MM 1,879,200

RURAL; MAIL BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25, 1931 In vcnior J' raiz JZz'az @6191.

A Home y Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES FRANKLIN GRIMM, F MORA, MINNESOTA RURAL MAIL BOX Application filed March 25, 1931. Serial No. 525,241.

This invention relates to an improved rural mailbox characterized by an arrangement of mechanical parts especially selected and co- 7 related to provide a structure which is systematic and efiicient in operation, and intended as a novel contribution to this particular line of endeavor.'

The improvement resides in the use of a 7 special compartment formed in the bottom of to accommodate a slidable drawer and said drawer being designed to accommodate the mail, parcels, and coins.

A feature of the invention is predicated upon a drawer provided at its front with a hingedly mounted coin receptacle designed to facilitate removal of the coins by the mailman.

A second feature of the invention is founded on an arrangement which embodies operating connection between the slidable drawer and the hingedly mounted front doors constituting the closure means for the box, together with operating means for the drawer so that as the drawer is pulled out to exposed position, the doors are simultaneously swung open and vice versa.

The specific details and relative arrangement and association thereof and the complete structure will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the concluding claims In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view showing the complete arrangement with the doors open and the drawer extended to useful position.

Figure 2 is a view like Figure 1 showing the parts retracted.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the structure seen in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a partial vertical sectional view through the box and through the front part of the drawer.

the box proper, said compartment serving Figure 7 is a perspective View of the drawer. I

Figure 8 is a detail section onthe line 8-'8 of Figure 4. 1

In the drawings, in Figure 3 for example, the numeral 9 designates generally the body portion of the box. This is of suitable proportions for convenient rural mail delivery service. It is of general vertically elongated rectangular configuration and formedlwith a V-shaped top or roof 10.

At the front portion are outstanding flanges 11 on which companion flanges 12, which are offset, of the doors, are hingedly mounted as at 13. This allows the doors to telescope slightly into the frontal portion of the box and to provide a nice joint. In fact, it w1ll be observed thatthe upper edges of the doors are provided with weather excluding channels 1 which take over the edge portions of the roof 10. Thus, the box itself is substantially weatherproof.

The insert 15 at the bottom of the box forms the base and it cooperates with thehorizontal partition plate 16 in defining a longitudinal 1y elongated horizontally extending compartment to receive the sliding parts of the mechanism. This compartment may well be distinguished by the numeral 17. The principal part of the aforesaid mechanism is the sliding mail receiving and delivering drawer 18;

Thisis in the nature-of a shallow pan and provided at its front with a small receptacle 19 hingedly mounted as at 20 and designed to contain coins. This hinge mounting allows the receptacleto be lifted outwardly and inverted to drop the coins conveniently into the hand of the mailman.

The numeral 21 in Figure nates a package or parcel retaining clip, whereas the numeral 22 indicates the centralized forwardly extending operating lever or handleterminating in a finger ring 23. The drawer is somewhat smaller than the compartment in which it'is slidable and to make up for this space and to insure proper slid-. ing 1 have provided a substantiallyrectangu lar guide frame 24which fits snugly yet freely in the compartment,

7 merely desig and pulled outwardly, thedrawer 18 is projected and doors 12 are swung simultaneously to open position. The reverse operation is true when the drawer is retracted or slid back into its protecting compartment 17. 1

Some of the structural features of the mail box are as follows. First, I call attention to the box itself, which is of sheet metal, or

suitable weather'combatting material, verti-' cally elongated, rectangular in shape, provided with a V-shaped water shedding roof and with a pair of suitable shaped front doors. These doors are unique in that they are provided with offset vertical edge flanges hingedly mounted on companion flanges extending outwardly from the side walls of the box so as to allow the doors to telescope into the frontal portion of the box.

Moreover, the overlapping edges at the meeting portions of the doors is unique, along with the angularly disposed channel on the upper edge portion of the doors which fit nicely over the front edges of the roof so as to make a dependable and efficient box.

An equally important and characteristically distinguishable feature of the invention is the horizontal open-front compartment formed in the bottom of the box, to accommodate the drawer, said drawer being designed to accommodate small articles such as letters and coins, leaving the upper and main compartment of the box to take care of larger packages.

This lower compartment is important in that it serves as a housing to receive the I claim:

1. In a mailbox structure of the class described, a box, a pair of companion hingedly mounted doors for the open front of said box, a partition in said box forming a bottom compartment, a drawer slidable in said compartment, an operating handle for said drawer extending outwardly through openings in said doors, and operating connections between the drawer and doors.

-2 In; a mailboxstructure of the class described, a box, a pair of companion hingedl mounted doors for the open front of said box, a partition in said box forming a bottom compartment, a drawer slidable in said compartment, an operating handle for said drawer extending outwardly through openings in said doors, and operating connections between the drawer and doors, said drawer being provided in one forward corner with a hingedly mounted coin receptacle adapted to facilitate extraction of coins. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature;

FRANKLIN GRIMM.

slidable mechanism. This slidable mechanism is notable in that it embodies a suitable sliding drawer, a guide frame and bracing means, and the hingedly mounted coin receptacle. Then too, there is the novel arrangement whereby pivoted links provide an operating connection between the drawer and the outwardly opening doors, the protruding handle for operating the drawer, so that as the handle is pulled outwardly the doors are swung open. This simultaneous unified action of parts is desirable and practical indeed. It is thought that the description taken in connection with the drawings will enable a clear understanding of the invention to be had. Therefore, a more lengthy description is thought unnecessary. Minor changes in shape, size,'materials, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice if desired. 

